I'm here every morning, whether I open up or not. My mom is always at the other daycare either opening, or by 8:30am at the latest. Today we had a meeting at a DC center that's closing at 7:30am to meet with their director. Go freaking figure that at 7:45am I get a text from one of my workers that the Food "Police" (our food inspector) was there waiting for us to do breakfast at both buildings! We normally serve breakfast at 8:30 so not sure why she was that early, but it completely screwed up my morning! At least we won't have to see her again for another 3 months!

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I am sorry you are having a rough start to your day! I am confused though. If you are not scheduled to serve breakfast until 8:30 wouldn't the food inspector just have to wait? Not to be rude but I do not see where it is your problem if she shows up too early. I would have gone about my morning as planned and served breakfast at my scheduled time. Unless I am missing something...

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I agree that she can wait. My food program lady told me that if I serve meals of snack outside of the times they have it's not claim able. She could just spend the next 45 minutes checking your paperwork. Plus, I know with my dck's if they eat earlier or later than usual it just messes up their day.

sorry, that's such a pain!

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I guess I don't see the issue either

My meals are when they are, if they come before/after a scheduled meal time I don't have to do anything special. They can wait (if early) or ask what I served (if late).

Maybe I've been fortunate but all my food program reps have been my allies, not my enemies.

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Our food program also would never disallow a claim if a meal is early or late. That's just silly. If the kids are super-hungry, and I want to move lunch up by 20 minutes, I'm supposed to say "no, the food program might show up?"

Of course, every time my food program person shows up is the day I happen to be serving things I hardly ever serve; like fish sticks, or "sweet rolls" (cinamon rolls without frosting). She just laughs, because it's happened 3 times. Every other day, it's whole grains, home-cooked meals, etc.

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Our food program must see us physically serve the meals I think 3 times a year and the 4th visit can be anytime during the day. So on the days they are planning on seeing the "point of service" they are typically here about 15-20 minutes before my window to serve. They get all the paperwork done ahead of time and then as soon as I serve the food, I sign the papers and they are gone. If they were early, I would just let them wait. We can not serve outside of our window or we won't get paid for the meal. I usually set mine up so that I have an hour window to give me the wiggle room if I want to serve early or if we are running late.

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LOL! This happened to me too. For a few times in a row she showed on our "special" days - like pajama day in the winter or St. Patrick's Day when I served green milk, etc.

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We can only serve breakfast between 8am-9am. Kids can still eat after 9am but they have to have it by then. We've always served at 8:30 because our 2nd worker comes in at 8am and by the time foods ready and kids hands are washed it's 8:30. I guess the who point of my post was the fact that why is it we get our unexpected visit on the one day we're not there to help out? It happened January 3, 2013. It was the first day back from our week off for the holidays and there she is for breakfast, bright and early. I guess she has to visit someone, just wish it happened on "normal" days lol

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We have to serve during our declared meal times OR not claim that meal.
All except one food program inspector that I've had have been wonderful.
The un-wonderful one told me to wake my kids up from nap and feed them lunch again. Huh? NO. I stuck to my proverbial guns and she left. Then I called the office about her
She must have been awful with other providers too, because she was gone before the year was out.
My current wonderful inspector and I met on one of her first visits, and my first day back after being off for recovery from surgery. She was just great, let me show her my attendance log (not signed by parents at that time) for meal counts, and let me scribble down the meals on a scrap of paper (it wasn't put into MMK yet). I her and try to remember to have a little treat ready for her when it's near her anniversary date.

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I totally get it. That's how it typically works here as well. The minute things are different than normal, bam, someone shows up. It's like they have this radar.

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That's so strange... That's like showing up at 11am and expecting you to serve lunch but you normally serve it between 11:30-12. She sees what time you put on your claims, why would she show up so early?
I haven't had a food program inspection in awhile. We're supposed to have them every 3 mos but she hasn't been here since July 2013? I forget exactly, but I haven't seen her in awhile. I expected her between Nov-Dec for sure since I know another provider in town makes her a rum cake every year for Christmas but she never came here. I even asked my neighbor if she's gone there recently and she hasn't been there either.

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That never happens here, TwinKristi. They are here unannounced three times per year. We have to submit any closed days to them - it's hard to get used to "calling in to work" when you are your own boss. Also have to let them know in advance of any meals we plan to serve away from home, or we will not be credited if they show up here.
And they randomize when in the rotation they show up. I might have two visits within a month and a half, and then none for months. But it's always within their trimester.

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Wow, which agency are you with?

My food program rep is AWESOME!! We are only required to hang a "we are out" sign on the door if we aren't here so she knows to come back later (same day if she has time...or another day if she doesn't). We don't have to tell them ahead of time as we don't always know.

We also give time frames for meals that overlap so that ALL meals are credible no matter when they are served.

I've also NEVER received 2 visits in a month Ours comes every 3-4 months and is SUPER respectful and polite about her "surprise" visits. I was doing an interview once when she arrived. Rather than interrupting me, she just went to another provider's house and came back later. She could have checked my paperwork etc but she said she felt it was disrespectful to be there while I was trying to interview a prospective client.

I used to have a horrible rep (different agency) but now I've had this same gal for a few years now and she is fantastic!! I think I've pretty much gotten all the providers in my area to switch over to her agency.

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I have to call in or email mine when I'm closed too. It's so annoying. There was one week where one dcg was sick and the other dck's were going to be with grandma who was visiting. I emailed them every day letting them know I didn't have any kids that day. But that's better than me being closed and they just show up, I guess.

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We do have to let them know if we have a planned closing (vacations and such) but that's more of a courtesy as they cover a very large area. I do not have to call them if I'm closed due to illness, etc.

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Are you enrolled with CACFP? It's so odd how it differs regionally.

I have to notify them of my scheduled closings and email in the morning if it's an unexpected closing. I also have to notify them of meals off site, and where we will be and they CAN (and have) showed up there.

I get a drop in visit every 3 months or so, always for lunch or PM snack, since I live quite a ways away from the office.

If they show at the house and we aren't there, I can't claim for the day. I also cant claim if she shows at my designated time and we aren't eating. She IS reasonable though, if I am still cooking and we are running a few minutes late, or early and she can see what we had, she claims it as seeing the meal served.

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Once per year my rep likes to see the ENTIRE meal. Prep, cooking through serving and the kids eating. In that case she would show up early.

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Our food program rep says that she is supposed to see a meal or snack being prepared, served OR cleaned up. That's it. She does not micro-manage at all. If lunch was moved up 20 minutes, she gets it because she's a FCC provider too. She's super awesome and so is the agency.

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Wow! I gather last month they came here for a pop in. We were here but had already started nap and I didn't hear them (they knocked rather then ring the bell). I still got credit for the meal.

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PCI. Been with them from their first day. It was started by someone who was with QCC but they went defunct. In the 80s

They used to let us use the doorknocker sign too, but that's no longer allowed. We used to have overlapping meal times, but no longer allowed. It's supposed to be three times/year, two unannounced, but in reality they are all unannounced. They must have instructions to not do visits in the same order each tri and that is why they can end up so close together.

My rep is fantastic though. I never drop what I'm doing to run to the door. My dc parents wait. The FedEx guy waits. The door knockers from the church preschool down the street wait. The Jehovah's Witnesses wait. The county and the food program people wait.
I just will not interrupt my kids' question/book/diaper change to dash to the door. So my fp rep usually ends up calling me because she's not positive I'm here, but I haven't sent the online notice/called her/texted her that I will not be here.
I'm pretty sure she could just ding me for the meal (not reimburse) because I don't get to the door immediately. But she never does and that is why I her and appreciate her every single time.

It is an incredible pain to have to "call in" though, and I am still never certain that I have done it every time (though I do it online and it's in my email -- somewhere).

They do always make it seem as if these are new federal regulations though -- so I'm curious how other providers' food program people do things.

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Shoot, in the "old days" I actually had a food program visit without any kids We sat and chatted for a bit, she did her forms and noted that no one was in attendance that day, and then she told me she was retiring from childcare and she wanted me to have her play loft

Pretty sure it would never happen now ... sigh ...

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Well that's how it's supposed to be here too. But my rep just hasn't been here in awhile? I am pretty by the book and don't "worry" that she'll come, but if she came at a weird time and expected me to be serving a meal I would be annoyed. And we also have to report closures, which I do online via MMK with their calendar. And same with meals served away from here, but we don't do that...

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PCI is who everyone in my area was with but a couple years ago, we had a huge uproar about them and their practices. Now almost every provider in my county is with Child Care Choices.

In comparison, I can't believe I didn't change sponsors sooner.

I personally would NEVER go back to PCI and will NEVER recommend them to anyone.

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Interesting! I have heard that PCI has expectations that other programs don't. Annual training? Again they make it sound like it's a federal requirement, but we hear that others don't do it. There are choices here in "the city" but as long as I love my person, I will stay with them. To me, my rep makes or breaks the program. I had one who looked through my fridge each time, and my utensil drawer. Rather like the county licensors who check underwear drawers Luckily I had already drank all the alcohol <---don't have any actually.

edited: Wording makes it sound like I keep alcohol in my underwear drawer. I think I'll leave it

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I have CACFP and we do have annual training, but I can do it online super quickly. Also, she's NEVER checked my fridge or drawers!!

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That was a long long time ago. No one has done it since. I guess I understand if they would do it, since there are regulations about having all food covered and at proper temps.

So when you say CACFP, that is the federal program, right? Child and Adult Care Food Program? But don't you have a sponsoring agency that processes the menus & meal counts & payment and does the monitoring?

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Yes, the Community Child Care Council (4C's) in our county runs the program. And I do have a thermometer in my fridge if they were to check for temps, but never have.

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We still do annual trainings.

The biggest difference for us though is we can attend the training in person for 2 hours or we can do self-training and complete a packet of info provided and then submit our replies on-line.

I agree! The rep makes a HUGE difference. The one I have via CCC is awesome!! She has stayed and played or participated in activities with us many times. She always brings something for my kids to do each time she comes too.

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Thanks for clarifying, TwinKristi. I have so little exposure to providers in other areas.

BlackCat, what other differences do you see between CCC and PCI?

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A little more (no ALOT more) understanding and forgiving about the fact that providers do the best we can.

I do NOT like feeling as though an agency I chose to participate with is "policing" me. I want to feel supported and encouraged by an agency I choose to work with...kwim?

CCC is great about provider support.

I called PCI a couple times and asked some questions about claiming and found out later that every.single.time I asked about something, most my families got letters asking to verify their attendance and the times they were here.

I also felt as though PCI was sooooo picky about claiming certain foods (especially for kids with special diets) that it just became MORE work than it was worth being on the food program.

Once I switched to CCC's I could not believe how awesome it was to be part of the food program! I feel CCC is my partner in educating the kids, families and myself in making healthy choices and eating well.

To me THAT makes ALL the difference.

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Mine is similar to this. Especially days we're closed. Heaven help you if they show up on a day you're closed and didn't tell them. I received a "red check mark" on my folder for that one.

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Hmm. Interesting. I have argued with them a couple of times (whether my apple pie could possibly have a creditable amount of apple in it, stuff like that) but I always have talked them into it. Because I am right

Parents have never told me that they got letters, but then supposedly letters are sent by the county every year too, and only one parent has ever told me they got one

I like that we don't have to do a special diet statement now for some alternatives to milk. I have had a bunch of kids on special diets, but only two recently and theirs weren't that difficult. Maybe it's changed. I did have one that was so tricky that the parents ended up refusing the food program. It turned out fine for me, because then I felt I could ask parents to supply some of the alternative items.

I wonder if they are really following federal regulations and other sponsors are more lax, or if they are just blaming things on regulations when it really isn't that.

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Let's see...there are no choices here as far as which program administers CACFP but I am ok with that because all of my reps have been good.

We get unannounced visits 4 times per year. Mine have always been pretty evenly spaced, one visit every three months.

We have a two-hour yearly mandatory training.

Our rep has a one page checklist she goes down every visit. It has things like "hot and cold running water are available" and general cleanliness stuff. She notes which kids are here, what we are serving, and then checks my paperwork.

We have to report to our rep when we will be closed or not home for a meal or they disallow all of the meals for that day.

I've never had them come early...usually they arrive as the kids are eating but my old rep came a few times after we were done & cleaning up. Then she just asked what we ate and I showed her the food left in the bowls, etc.

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Don't forget to submit those claims ladies! May was a long month!! Should be a pretty hefty payment for me since I had 2 new FT kids!

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Boy, I know the feeling. She/he shows up on the most caotic day!

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